The Fob Watch
by Eline-chan
Summary: What if there were Time Lords who'd escaped the Time War by rewriting their biology and storing their Time Lord essence in a fob watch? The idea formed after rewatching season 3, the episode "The Family of Blood". So thought I'd give it a go, enjoy - Pairing: Ten/OC
1. Chapter 1 - Jump

**The Fob Watch**

* * *

_Note: Alright, the initial idea: What would happen if there was someone who had been saved from the Time War by concealing themselves, rewriting their entire biology (as the Doctor did in the season 3 episode "The Family of Blood"._

_Anyway. This is the Tenth Doctor, but he hasn't met Rose or Martha or Donna. Just a blank Ten, actually. I don't think it's going to be that long, but I'm still working on the story so that might change as I tend to drag things along for way too long. I'll try not to!_

_Anyway, enjoy and don't hesitate to tell me what you think!_

* * *

I'd never been too sure about the little clock. I had it for as long as I could remember, never thought anything special about it. It didn't even work, but I still felt somewhat attached to it. Never even thought of taking it to a clockmaker to get it looked at. It was just there, unimportant like me. Broken, like me.

* * *

'Are you sure about this?' I said as I stared down into the abyss.

'Of course I am!' She was standing on a platform with a bungee rope attached to her ankles.

'If you say so.' I held up the camera and pressed the recording button.

'Good day, YouTube! As you can or cannot see, I'm standing on the edge of a bridge. Don't be alarmed, I'm completely safe thanks to the guys of Bobby Bungee.' I moved the camera slightly to the guys who were holding up their company's logo, I turned back to Cass and nodded.

'Alright then, let's hope that I survive this.' She turned to the depth below her and gulped. 'Here goes!' And with that she let herself fall forward, off the platform. I quickly leaned over the edge with the camera to get a good shot, her screams were deafening.

While she was being reeled back up, I ended the video. It would be replaced with '5 minutes later' anyway so there wasn't a point in keeping it going.

'That's kind of dangerous...' I turned to meet the source of the voice, finding a short haired man in a brown trench coat. He didn't look like one of the workers.

'She wouldn't listen when I told her that.'

'You better watch out.' I frowned at him.

'I'm not going to do that.'

'Mhmm.' He turned and took off. Strange guy...

* * *

I turned the camera back on once she was up and aimed it at her.

'I'm still alive!' She said happily. 'But that's one hell of a thrill right there. Whew, I recommend that to everyone. Just don't do it if you have heart problems or something, you might... die. Anyway, that's the Christmas special for this year, hope you enjoyed it! Ciao!' I zoomed out and ended the recording.

'Good one. You okay?' She nodded, but I doubted it, she looked as though she'd just seen a ghost.

Once back home I edited the video and put some effects in before uploading it to her YouTube channel. She was quite famous, but that wasn't always a good thing. Everyone in town knew about her and everyone in neighboring places did as well. People would come up to her and ask her for autographs as if she was a proper Hollywood actress. No one cared about the one behind the camera though, I was just an invisible nobody. I didn't really mind, though some recognition wouldn't be too bad once in a while. I suppose I'd lacked that all my life. Being an orphan, I never had loving parents who gave me compliments when I'd done something good. All I got were bitter old sisters who hated their jobs and hence the children. They said they'd found me on the streets when I was just a kid, no memories, nothing. There were no missing persons reports out either and no one came for me, even after the whole thing had been on national tv.

* * *

'I just saw it, it looks good.' Cass said over the phone. 'Good job.' I smiled to myself.

'Thanks. Though it was you doing most of the work. Are you sure you're okay? You sound a bit... off.'

'Off? What's that supposed to mean?' I expected some sort of sniggering or laughing at the end of that sentence, but none came.

'Just... Oh nothing, never mind.'

'Hey, can you come over tomorrow?'

'You know I have to work tomorrow.' She'd known for the past two years.

'Right, right, sorry. You know what? I think I'm going to bed early tonight, maybe I'm not feeling so well after all.'

'You want me to come over for the night? To keep an eye on you? Keep you company?'

'That's alright, you're busy. I'll talk to you tomorrow.'

'Alright then, bye.' I hung up and stared at the phone for a few moments. This was really weird and not like her at all. She always blatantly refused to go to sleep early, just like a child.

'Maybe I should go to her anyway...'


	2. Chapter 2 - Just the Doctor

I pulled my scarf closer around me as I walked through the cold night, the streets were abandoned. I shivered at the eerie quietness around me.

'Hello again.' I shrieked and turned around, feeling both relieved and disturbed upon seeing the strange man from the bridge.

'Are you following me?' I asked cautiously. He didn't answer, he just smiled. 'You are following me...'

'Maybe you're the one following me.' He sounded playful.

'I was here first.'

'Says who?'

'Says me.'

'Can you prove it?'

'I- No, but I'm not following you.'

'I'm not following you either. It's merely a coincidence.' The fact that it was dark made it a little less of a coincidence to me. I shrugged, he seemed harmless.

'Alright then.' I turned and continued walking.

'So, why're you out at this hour?' He followed me.

'Going to visit a friend.'

'The one who jumped?'

'Yeah. What about yourself?'

'Going to visit someone.'

'Coincidences tend to happen quite often around you, don't they?'

'This isn't a coincidence though.'

'What is it then, if not a coincidence?'

'I can't think of the right word, but that doesn't really matter now, does it? No! What matters is that you're worried about that friend of yours.'

'What's it to you?'

'A key.' He grinned and walked at a faster pace, passing me by.

'My worry is a key?' I asked curiously as I adapted to his pace, walking beside him once again.

'Weeeeelll, sort of. It's complicated, don't worry about it.' I raised my shoulders and walked up the path to her house, not very surprised that he followed me. I let my hand slide into my pocket, getting out the key I'd been given, holding it out of sight.

'You think I'm going to let a complete stranger in her house?'

'Technically I'm not a complete stranger.' I frowned.

'Do you know her? Are you a relative or something?' That would be pretty much impossible as I knew all of her relatives.

'I'm not.'

'Then what are you of her?'

'Nothing, don't even know her.'

'Then you're a complete stranger.'

'I met her this morning, didn't I?'

'That's- oh never mind. Hang on... I think you know what's wrong with her.' I crossed my arms over my chest and raised a brow at him. 'Tell me.'

'You wouldn't believe it.'

'Try me.' He sighed and scratched the back of his head.

'You're not going to like it.'

'What's that supposed to mean?' He opened his mouth to answer when a window broke on the second floor, the window of Cass' room. Shards of glass came raining down on us and I ducked, my hands over my head, bracing myself. He took his coat and swung it over the both of us. I looked up at him questioningly.

'It's a special fabric.' He murmured. When it had stopped, he stood back up, taking his coat with him.

'What was that?' I was about to yell upwards to Cass, but the man held a hand over my mouth.

'Shh, quietly open the door.' Was he some sort of burglar? Should I be fearing for my life? I carefully brought the key I was clutching in my hands to the lock and opened the door.

'Don't scream, okay?' I nodded and he released me.

'Haylee?' A whining voice came from upstairs, it was Cass, but she sounded so different. Without thinking I ran up the stairs.

'No!' The man yelled as he came after me. I froze at the top of the stairs, staring right into the eyes of three women. Their hair was ablaze and cast looming shadows onto the walls and ground. At their center was Cass, her tears dried by the heat of the women's hair.

'Cass! Are you alright?' I asked worried.

'Haylee, I'm not feeling good…' She fell, but the women caught her.

'What is your business with that girl?' The man asked, standing beside me.

'Power.' Was all they said before vanishing along with Cass.

* * *

'Cass?' I turned to the man. 'Where have they taken her?!' He flickered his eyes at me.

'Alright alright, no need to shout. Geez…' He turned and walked down the stairs.

'Probably a space ship.'

'What does 'power' mean? What'll they do to her?'

'Honestly, I have no idea. They use their own fire as a power source for their equipment, this is new.' He walked out the door and down the path, I stood in the door opening, watching him with disbelief.

'Who are you?' He stopped and despite him facing the other way, I knew he was smiling.

'Just the Doctor.' With that he walked off into the darkness.

'Stop! I'm coming too!' I ran after him, tripping over the sidewalk ridge and bashing my nose into the concrete of the road.

'That must've hurt…' I looked up and found him crouching before me, a half worried, half amused look on his face.

'It did…' I mumbled as I sat up, feeling blood running down onto my lips. His eyes widened slightly and he tilted his head.

'That's…' He brought his fingers to my lips and wiped some blood away. I jumped away at the sudden touch and lost my balance, falling backwards and hitting the back of my head on the sidewalk ridge. That was the final drop. After a week of almost no sleep and the worry of just now, I passed out.

* * *

I opened my eyes and pinched them closed again when they met a bright light. They dimmed quickly and I carefully repeated the manner, keeping them open this time as I analyzed my surroundings. It was a large room with several beds lined up along the walls, suggesting a hospital. But the walls weren't white, the floor wasn't white and I saw no doctors.

'Took you long enough.' Except for him.

'Sorry?' I felt my head, there was a bandage wrapped around it. 'Thanks…'

'No problem. Can't just leave an unconcious girl out on the street at night, can I?'

'Playing the good samaritan now, are we?' He looked up in surprise.

'I am a good samaritan.' He sounded offended.

'Where are we? Is this your house?' That'd be weird. Who has a hospital in their house?

'Sort of. It's my ship.' Ship… Combining that with the fact that I'd seen an unknown life form not too long ago, I figured he meant space ship.

'You're an alien too.' I concluded.

'Didn't lose any brain cells then? Good for you.'

'The second time was your fault…' I pouted.

'How is that my fault? You're the one who pretended to be a frog. Humans can't jump like that!'

'A frog? You're calling me a frog?'

'They're quite intelligent creatures, you know. I'd say it's a compliment.'

'It's not- Oh never mind… What about Cass, do you know where she is?'

'I located the ship, figured I'd wait for you to wake up before going there.' I swung my legs off the bed and smiled.

'How considerate of you.'

'Right?' He smiled as he exited the room. After a minutes of navigating his awfully big space ship, he entered a room which appeared to be the main control room.

'Alright then. Let's get going, shall we?' I nodded, unsure of what was going to happen next. Was it like a rocket take off? And if so, weren't we going to need space suits or something?

'Space suits?' He frowned. 'Inside a space ship?'

'How should I know? And please don't read my mind, it creeps me out.' I wasn't comfortable, knowing that someone was reading my every thought.

'Not your every thought-'

'Doctor!'

'Okay, calm down. I won't do it anymore.'

'Thank you. Can we go now?'

'We certainly can.'

He pressed some buttons and pulled a lever, the large thing in the middle of the control panel started moving and the most gorgeous sound filled my ears. It was everything, everywhere and even everywhen all in one. It was birth, life and death all mashed together into one awfully wonderful sound. It was the sound of the TARDIS.


	3. Chapter 3 - Only Just Beginning

_I'm so sorry that it took so long! It's just been so busy lately and school kind of got the better of me as well… It's kind of short, I know, but I promise the next one will be longer and faster! Again, sorry! Enjoy!_

* * *

A TARDIS? Why did I know that name? He hadn't told me, had he? No, it were my memories that had supplied me with the term, the name. But why was it there? The only possible explanation I could come up with was that I overheard it from someone else or perhaps the Doctor himself. It was very well possible that I'd unconsciously remembered it. Yes, that was it, no need to worry.

The machine trembled and shocked and I struggled to keep my balance. I didn't feel like receiving another blow to the head and quickly held onto something. It only lasted a few minutes and everything died down, including, much to my dismay, the sound.

'Alright then, ready to go meet the Vatrena?' The Doctor said as he marched over to the front door.

'Yeah- wait, the who?' I followed.

'Vatrena, it's the name of their kind.'

'Ooh, alright then, let's do it!' He smiled at my enthusiasm and threw the door open, only to be greeted by at least ten flaming spears aimed our way.

'Well, that wasn't what I was expecting...' I murmured as I looked at the Doctor from the corners of my eyes.

'Nothing to worry about, let me handle this.' He whispered as he turned to the fiery women. 'I request an audience with your leader.' One of the women tilted her head slightly before withdrawing her spear.

'I see that you bear no ill will against us. Your request has been granted.' Now all the women put their spears away and nodded in either agreement or confirmation.

'Follow me.' The first one said as she turned and walked away.

'Told you so.' The Doctor said, following the woman.

'Not bad,' I tailed him, 'not bad at all.'

* * *

The woman's stride was long and firm, but at the same time very graceful. Then I noticed that the ship's interior matched its inhabitants greatly. It was just as graceful and not to mention beautiful. Because the women surely were beautiful, their flaming hair matched incredibly well with the rest of them.

'They're all like that, you moron. Of course it fits.' I realized that I'd said that out loud only when I noticed several pairs of eyes on me. Suspicion from the women and curiosity from the Doctor.

'Nothing, just talking to myself.' I quickly said, followed by a loud sigh. I probably look like a crazy person now, I thought as I shook my head slightly. One string of bandage now hung in front of my eyes. I had completely forgotten about that! Reminds me of what they always said to me... "If you don't pay attention you'll forget your head at one point", suppose this is the closest I've ever gotten to that. My thoughts took in most of my attention and I would've bumped into the woman if the Doctor hadn't grabbed my arm.

'You feeling alright? You keep spacing out.' He sounded sort of worried.

'Yeah, fine. Just lost in thought... Don't mind me.' He shrugged and turned back to the woman. She was busy instructing others to open the huge doors in front of which we were standing. They were decorated with several golden plates, each depicting what I guessed was a part of their history. From what I could see, there was a lot of blood.

* * *

The doors slowly opened to a large throne room. Upon the throne sat, surprise surprise, a woman. Her hair seemed a lot more fiery than that of the others or maybe that was a crown of fire, I honestly had no idea.

'This man seeks audience with you, your highness.' The woman said as she bowed slightly. The Queen gave a slight nod and the woman then nodded at us, granting us access into the room. I walked in and heard a faint crying from the corner of the room. I turned to find Cass in a cage, her knees pulled up to her chin and her face hidden away behind her arms. I suppressed the urge to run to her, knowing that that would only make matters worse. I received an approving nod from the Doctor.

'Your highness, requesting permission to speak.' I could tell by his tone that he didn't do this very often, or at least not this politely. The Queen gave a nod.

'Simply put, your highness, you have something that belongs to this girl right here.' He put a hand on my shoulder and shoved me forward.

'She'd really like it back. As you can see, she's but a shell without this precious item.' I caught on and stared out into the distance, no emotion on my face or in my eyes. It was my best impression of a soulless shell.

'This item is like her soul, she simply can't live without it.' Maybe he was overdoing it now. The Queen looked at me, pulling up an eyebrow at the girl before her. She stood and walked over to me, stopping in front of me and staring straight into my eyes. Hers were blue like ice, much to my surprise, but I tried my best to retain my emotionless gaze.

'Doctor!' She suddenly yelled. I nearly flinched at that. Luckily for me, she looked away just as I blinked.

'I really thought I'd finally settled matters with you...'

'I thought so too and then you went out and kidnapped a human.'

'Humans.' She scoffed. 'Pathetic beings.' The Doctor reacted before I could.

'Now that's not true, is it?' He said as he walked around. 'I mean, sure they're stupid, reckless, ignorant, annoying and weird. But they're still so young! They've only just started out, you can't blame them for being pathetic. They've barely had time to evolve!'

'Only a few billion years...' I thought as I rolled my eyes at his insults and compliments.

'So we'd kindly like to ask you to release the human over there.'

'I need that kid.'

'What would you possible need her for? After all she's just a _pathetic human_.' He grinned, thinking he was so clever and witty.

'She is, but I need her nonetheless. There's a party coming up and I require a pet. Status shows better that way, don't you think?'

'You can't use humans as pets! Get an ood or something!'

'This is unique, _everyone_ has an ood. I'll be the only one with a human.'

'You mean to get power through subjecting a human being to being your pet?'

'Very good, Doctor, I see you're still just as clever.'

'I can't let you do this. I won't allow it.' His tone was ice cold and it even gave me goose bumps.

'What can you do about it, honey? Especially when you're imprisoned.'

'Imprisoned? I'm not-' Three women held their spears dangerously close to his face. As they were closing in on me, thinking I was completely harmless, I caught the nearest by surprise and took her spear.

'Holy shit, I didn't think that'd work.' I said surprised as I smiled.

'You have no idea what to do next, do you?' The Doctor asked.

'Not a clue!'

'Well, well. Isn't that interesting.' The Queen murmured as she clapped her hands. Several women surrounded me and I soon felt a slight sting in my back.

'Perhaps this will put you to rest.' Her laugh was the last thing I heard before crashing to the ground. My mind blank and my sight gone, there was nothing I could do but submit.


	4. Chapter 4 - Losing Things

_A/N - I know, this took me way too long and I apologize from the bottom of my heart! It seems that the new year has decided to grant me a social life as I've been invited to over three parties already and have another one tonight.  
I'll try and upload faster next time! (I've already started the next one, so it'll go a lot faster)  
Anyway, here's 3 and a half pages of trying to escape prison :) Enjoy!  
_

* * *

I woke to an intense pain in my leg and groaned, opening my eyes to see one of the Vatrena standing on it, apparently with her full weight. I want to punch her, but realized my wrists were shackled and wouldn't come loose. As I heard a crack in my leg, I screamed loudly, much to the Vatrena's amusement.

'Haylee!' With tears in my eyes, I looked to the side, seeing the Doctor not too far away from me, also bound.

'I'm fine, I just-' The woman practically jumped on my leg now to make sure that I _wasn't_ actually fine.

'Okay! I'm not fine! Just get away from me! Let me rest a bit... please.' That last word was the hardest, the one I didn't want to say at all. Luckily for me, the effort wasn't wasted and she actually retreated, closing the cell door behind her.

'Haylee, are you okay?' The Doctor asked.

'My leg's broken and my head feels like a brick, but beside that I feel perfect.' My voice was drenched in sarcasm, understandable as my leg hurt like hell. I tugged at the chains holding me and smiled when noticing one squeaked a bit.

'If I could just pull the entire chain out then I'd have a weapon.' I thought as I started pulling at it, careful not to make too much noise.

* * *

Inch by inch, the chain came loose and much to my delight, the guards didn't even notice.

'Be careful!' The Doctor hissed as he moved impatiently, trying the method for himself, but failing horribly. Finally, one chain fell and dangled from my bruised and bleeding wrist, apparently the friction didn't do the skin any good. I grabbed the other one and gave it a few tugs, loosening that one as well. As soon as that one came out as well, I sighed relieved and crawled over to the Doctor, ignoring the pain in my leg as much as possible.

'I'm so sorry, Haylee... I shouldn't have let you come along.'

'It's not your fault. I asked, didn't I? Now keep still.' The bricks, if they actually were bricks, weren't very strong. I guessed it was because of their age, but I wasn't sure.

* * *

As soon as he was free, he swung to his feet and turned back to me.

'I'll get you out of here.'

'I'm not leaving without Cass.' He rolled his eyes as he reached out his hand. I took it and he carefully got me to stand, supporting me with his arms.

'Then you wait in the TARDIS while I get her, you'll only get in the way with that leg of yours anyway.'

'Thanks for that...' I murmured as we quietly snuck to the cell door. He took something from his pocket and used it on the lock, which broke rather quickly.

'A sonic screwdriver?' I thought surprised. He stared at me for a few seconds, obviously having read my mind.

'I hardly think now's the time to admire the view...' I whispered as I pointed at the door. He nodded and put his screwdriver away.

'That guard though...' He said worried, devising a plan in his head. I threw the door open and smacked the guard in the face with the chain, knocking her out. The Doctor stood beside me, looking at the unconscious guard.

'Big links.' I grinned as I held up the chain, it chimed slightly.

'I'll not comment on that right now.' Was all he said before moving on.

* * *

'Do you even know where you're going?' I whispered as he turned a corner.

'Improvising.' I sighed and stopped for a moment. He stopped as well and frowned at me.

'What're you-'

'Shh, I'm listening.' I'd always had exceptional hearing and it often came in quite handy. I heard the Queen's voice coming from the left and turned to find a rather small door there.

'Look here, back entrance to the throne room.' I smiled as I limped over, peeking through the keyhole.

'I'm actually surprised that they have keys...' I thought as I processed what I saw. The Queen was walking in circles around a cage, Cass' cage. There were several guards in the room, all armed with spears. I turned back to the Doctor and sighed.

'We need a diversion to lure the guards away. I'll do that and then you open the cage and release-'  
'Since when did you become the leader?'

'Since you're not taking the initiative. It's only an idea anyway.'

'You'll get killed for sure if you do that, you can't even walk properly, let alone run.' He did have a point there. He held out the screwdriver.

'I'll create a diversion, you have to open the cage.'

'But-'

'No buts. That's how it's going to happen.' I nodded uncomfortably. He stood and wanted to walk away, I grabbed his sleeve. He turned in surprise.

'Thanks for everything, Doctor.'

'What now? Talking like you'll never see me again. I'll make it, don't worry.' He radiated such an amount of trust that I believed his words without the slightest thought.

'That's a promise?' He nodded.

'I promise.'

* * *

He hurried off down the hallway and I peeked through the keyhole once more. The great doors swung open, the Doctor blabbering about this being the exit, or not.

'Seize him!' The Queen yelled furiously. The Doctor made a run for it, minding to not lead the guards my way, and disappeared from my view. I silently tried the knob, the door was open and I silently cheered for a small victory on my part. I pushed at it ever so slowly, quietly, carefully until the gap was big enough for me to slip through. I snuck my way in and his behind the large throne, the Queen hadn't noticed me yet.

'Okay, now what. I hit her? Like the guard? Will she go down from just that?' I thought, panicking slightly at the thoughts of the worst case scenarios.

'No! Calm down. You've got complete control over the situation. She has no weapons and you have two, you have nothing to worry about.' I decided to imbue my mind with some encouraging words and for once, I actually believed them. I realized I was clenching the screwdriver in my right hand.

'I wonder what the range of this thing is...' I shook my head. 'No, that'll give me away...' I took a deep breath and peered around the throne. She was facing the cage, standing with her back towards me. I saw my chance clean and quietly came out from behind the throne, walking up to her with the chains in my hands, keeping them quiet. When I was close enough, I smacked one right into her face. Less than half a second after that, I realized that wasn't enough and I threw it around her neck, catching it with the other hand. She grabbed at it, breaking her fingernails on the cold metal of the chain as she gagged and slowly choked. As soon as she went limp I released her, crouched down and checked her pulse. There still was one and I sighed relieved, taking a life wouldn't have been something I'd be able to forgive myself, even if she'd kidnapped Cass. Reminded of my initial objective of rescuing my friend, I looked up and crept closer to the cage.

'Hey there, Cass.' She jumped up and threw herself at the bars upon recognizing my voice.

'Haylee!'

'Shh, keep it down. I'll release you.' I got the screwdriver and pressed the button. It buzzed and within a few seconds, the lock fell off. Cass threw the door open and launched herself at me, hugging me tightly and leaning on my leg at the same time. I spastically squirmed my way out of her grip and took a few deep breaths, letting the pain subside.

'This isn't the time for hugs. We have to get to the TARDIS.'

'The what?'

'Not now!' We stood and Cass supported me, nodding that she understood.

'Alright, let's-'

'Ruuuuuuuuuun!' I turned and saw the Doctor dashing towards us, having entered through the door from which I'd come. He grabbed me by my waist and swung me over his shoulder as if I weighed nothing, took Cass' hand and started running again. About one third of the soldiers that he'd managed to gather up in his diversion stopped to look after the Queen, the others were right on our tails.

'Do you remember where you parked?' I asked, realizing that we could be here for hours more before finding the TARDIS again.  
'I kind of hoped you would've...'

'You're joking, right?'

'Afraid not.'

'Okay okay, let me think...'

'Take your time.' He said mockingly.

* * *

After running for another five minutes I felt the Doctor slowing down beneath me, not surprising as he had already ran quite a while and was carrying me. Suddenly I felt a tug at my sleeve and looked to the side, finding no one at all.

'This way.' The voice seemed to come out of the same spot, but there was nothing there.

'Doctor, turn right please.' I said as I patted his back, deciding to trust the voice.

'You sure?' He panted.

'No, but it's better than nothing.' He nodded and did as asked.

'Left.' The voice whispered again and I repeated after it.

'Again.'

* * *

And there she was, in a storage room. They'd moved her.

The Doctor quickly took out the key, unlocked it and opened the door, throwing me inside. He came in after that, but Cass didn't.

'Cass?! Hurry!' I yelled, panicking. She shuffled inside, a small stream of blood coming from the corner of her mouth. My eyes were pulled down and I saw a spear sticking out of her stomach. She fell to her knees and smiled at me as tears ran down her cheeks. I crawled over to her and reached out to her, but then froze midway. I was scared to touch her, scared I'd break her if I did.

'Doctor, can you..?' He stood there, shaking his head.

'I'm sorry, I'm so sorry.'

'Cass-' She shook her head as well.

'It's alright.' Her eyes closed and she fell forward, onto me, the spear nearly cutting me as well. The Doctor moved on to the control panel and pressed some buttons after which he pulled a lever. The whirring noise returned, drowning the sounds of my sobbing.

* * *

It was raining and I stood before her grave with a black umbrella over my head and a walking cane in my hand. The Doctor stood beside me, I unconsciously shared the umbrella with him. As everyone, even her parents had left, I stayed behind together with him.

'It pains me that I can't tell them the truth.' I said as I sighed. 'I suppose a robbery gone wrong would be the most logical explanation anyway.'

'If if makes you feel any better. In her last thoughts, she thanked you for coming to rescue her.'

'Of course, you idiot, of course I'd come for you...' I muttered to the grave. My shoulders started shocking and the umbrella with it as I broke out in tears. The Doctor awkwardly put an arm around me and sighed.

'I know what it's like to lose a friend.' He looked up at the sky. 'It hurts.'

And that moment, everything he'd been meaning to ask her about, just slipped his mind.


	5. Chapter 5 - Everything is Gone

_A/N: Alright, I honestly don't know how long this took me, but if you look at the small amount, I think it's safe to say that this took me ages.  
I've been pretty doubtful about this one though. It was one of those points in a story where you can go one of two ways: You can let it drag on and risk it getting boring, or you can start the end. In this case, I started the end, simply because dragging it on didn't seem right somehow. I honestly hope I made the right decision. If I didn't then, well, I'm sorry...  
Without further ado, chapter 5! Enjoy! ^^_

* * *

'So.' He said as he jumped down from the sidewalk onto the street, halting for a moment, hands deep in his pockets.  
'So?'  
'What'll you do now?'  
'I honestly don't know. Might throw myself off a bridge or something.' He turned back to me, eyes wide in surprise.  
'You can't.' He whispered.  
'Probably don't have the guts, no. But still, there's not much left now, is there? I have no obligations to anyone now.'  
'You have one to me.' I frowned.  
'You?'  
'Yes, if you're going to talk like that then I might as well have left you there. You owe me your life and it's your obligation to me to live it to the fullest.' He turned and continued his way, I followed.  
'What'll you do?'  
'Traveling. Same old, same old.'  
'Traveling? So... you're an adventurer?' I was intrigued.  
'I guess you could say that. And to be honest, I think I'm in need of someone who can accompany me on those adventures.' Helping him seemed a better use of my time than anything else I'd ever do.  
'C-can I apply for this job?' He turned around, shook my hand and smiled.  
'You're hired!'  
'Really?'  
'Of course really. What else?'  
'I don't know.'  
'Me neither. Let's get going.' With a child's most cheerful smile we continued, him still holding my hand.

* * *

'Where would you like to go?' He asked me once we were inside the blue box.

'I've always wanted to go to Midnight, mom said it was her dream to-' My breath caught. What was I saying? Mom? Midnight? The Doctor calmly walked up to me and looked into my eyes, seeing my uncertainty and fear.  
'Do you own a fob watch?' He asked calmly. I took the little watch from my pocket and stared at it. How did he know?  
'It was found with me. It's broken though, nothing special.'  
'Can I see it for a second?'  
'Sure.' I carefully handed him the thing and watched as he examined it. He handed it back to me.

'Open it.' He said, sounding hopeful.  
'Why?'  
'Just open it.' Now it was impatience in his voice.  
'I don't-'  
'Open the damn thing!' I shrank back at that and stared at him, his eyes were fixed on the device in my hands. I clicked it open and looked down at the bright light it emanated, normally I would've flickered my eyes, but I couldn't even take my eyes off it. Voices swirled through my head and my vision turned completely white, then black and then regained color again. The Doctor had moved backwards. I held my pounding head and groaned.  
'That kind of hurt...' I muttered as I straightened my back and looked up. The Doctor was staring at me, utter disbelief in his eyes.  
'You...'  
'I'm a Time Lord, yeah, don't look all surprised. It's not as if you weren't expecting it.' I said as I held stretched my arms and legs, realizing that my leg wasn't broken anymore. 'I must admit though, I practically forgot what it felt like.' I laughed. 'I feel soooo alive!' The Doctor was still locked in his baffled state. I waved my hand in front of his eyes and frowned when he didn't move even an inch.  
'Come on. It's not that bad, is it? I mean, it's not like I suddenly turned incredibly ugly or anything, right?' He still didn't move.  
'Is it Midnight? Bad memories or something? Fine, forget Midnight. Let's head back to Gallifrey, I have to say hi to my parents. Haven't seen them in what? 100 Years?' His eyes widened.  
'Galli... frey?'  
'Yeah, Time Lord. Do you suffer from amnesia?' He shook his head.  
'No, just... this...' He slowly walked towards me, taking such small steps that it took him at least five to cross a meter. When he was incredibly close, he slowly put his arms around me and just hugged me.  
'You're scaring me, Doctor.' I said as I tried to push him off, not succeeding even one bit. 'What's wrong?'

* * *

'Everything's gone.' I barely even heard him the first time.  
'What?' He pulled back and laid his hands on my shoulders, staring at me once again.  
'Gallifrey is gone.' I frowned.  
'Stop joking around.' But I could see in his eyes that he wasn't joking.  
'The Time Lords as well. I'm the last one and now… You.'  
'I don't believe you!' I said as I stepped backwards.  
'But it's the truth!' He walked up to me and put his hand on my forehead. 'I'll show you.'

* * *

The red grass on fire. The orange sky on fire. The citadel on fire. My home was burning. Everything was burning.

* * *

As soon as he let me go I fell to the ground, shivering with tears streaming down my cheeks. That's why it felt so empty. There was no one left. No one but the Doctor.  
'But… I haven't even... I didn't…' I didn't know what to say, words seemed to mean nothing anymore. He crouched down in front of me and smiled.  
'I'm sorry, but you had to see it for yourself to believe it.' In a fit of sadness, I threw myself at him and sobbed into his suit.  
'Everything's gone!'  
'I know.' He patted my head and cradled me in his arms, rocking back and forth on a slow and steady rhythm.  
'I know.'


	6. Chapter 6 - Starting Over

**The Fob Watch**

_**A/N**__ - Alright, starting with making excuses again - I KNOW THIS TOOK ME WAY TOO LONG - I have had jaw surgery and have been passed out in bed pretty much all of last week… Basically, I've picked a really bad time for a write-and-upload way of doing things (I usually just write everything beforehand so I'll never have time issues), but I wanted to try things another way for once. Let me just say: never again.  
Moving on, the next chapter (which I'll try to make as long as I possibly can) will be the final one. This is really just a small something to start it up, so I hope you enjoy!_

* * *

_**IMPORTANT NOTE - READ THIS NOW:**__ The game "Eighth Man Bound" is something from Classic Who and I'm pretty sure that none of you are familiar with it, so here's a discription from the TARDIS data core:_  
_**"The game was played by an "Initiate" who sat in the centre of a circle of Academy classmates (referred to as "the Inquiry"). The Inquiry gave the Initiate an identity crisis, often by repeating his or her name over and over again until it became meaningless. Drugs could be used to aid in this effect. In time, the identity crisis caused the Initiate's body to enter a state of flux between**__**regenerations**__**. The object of the game was to remain in flux for as long as possible, allowing the Time Lord to see glimpses of his or her own future regenerations.**_

_**Eighth Man Bound was extremely dangerous as it could result in triggering an actual regeneration or a complete loss of identity. Up to fifteen Academy students' deaths were linked to the game each semester."**_

_Also, the Doctor's nickname at the Academy, was Theta Sigma, hence my use of it in this chapter._

* * *

I woke up in the Doctor's arms and snuggled up to him a little more.

'You feeling better?' Even without looking, I knew he was smiling at me.

'It's still sinking in… but I suppose it's better than before.'  
'I'm glad.'  
'Was it hard?'  
'What?'  
'Being all alone for so long?' When it remained quiet, I looked up at him. There was a mixture of sadness and kindness in his eyes that seemed to stab me like a sharp knife.  
'I got used to it.' He answered. I sat up and sighed, staring at my hands in my lap.  
'I'm sorry. I'm probably a real downer.'  
'It's understandable, don't worry about it. You won't get me down that easily.' He stood and reached out to me, I took his hand and got back to my feet.  
'Your leg isn't broken anymore, is it?' He asked.  
'No, it's healed completely. Part of the process is healing injuries, I guess.'  
'Alright then, still want to go to Midnight?'  
'I was actually wondering about a few things…'  
'You want to talk?' I nodded.  
'Then we should get to a more comfortable place.' He said as he led the way out of the control room and through the corridors, eventually ending up in what looked like a living room. There were several trophies on the big hearth. I walked up to them and curiously examined them, gasping upon seeing two very familiar signs.  
'You're Theta Sigma?' He seemed surprised that I knew, but nodded anyway.  
'You're a legend among the students!' I re-evaluated. 'Were a legend?' He laughed.  
'A legend? What did I do then?'  
'You saw up to seven incarnations when you played Eighth Man Bound!' I said excited. His eye twitched slightly.  
'I did no such thing.'  
'I knew you'd say that. They told me you never acknowledged it. Good for me that I know better.'

"Eighth man bound  
Make no sound  
The shroud covers all  
The Long and the Short  
And the Old and the Loud  
And the Young and the Dark  
And the Tall"

'That's how it goes, right?' I grinned at him as I turned back from the trophies to the Doctor.  
He sat himself down on the couch and patted the empty space beside him. I walked over and sat down.  
'About the war-'  
'No.' I interrupted. 'I'd rather talk about… other, happier things, if you don't mind.'  
'That's a relief. Alright, ask me anything.'  
'You were part of the … House, right?'  
'Correct. What house were you in?'

* * *

We talked about all sorts of things. Gallifrey, the university, his travels and my personal experiences. It made me realize that I'd always been kind of different from the others. Always something alien about me that scared others away.

* * *

I yawned and earned a grin from the Doctor.  
'I can imagine you're still tired. You still have to adapt to the Time Lord ways after being a human for quite some time.' He stood and stretched his arms. 'You should get some sleep.'  
'That might be best, yeah.' I nodded as I followed him through the corridors once again. He randomly stopped and looked around for a moment.  
'You're not lost, are you?' I asked surprised. A Time Lord who gets lost in his own Tardis… well, that's just plain weird.  
'No, of course not. I'm just deciding which bedroom you're going to get.' He walked up to a door and stood in front of it. It was bigger than the other doors and I suspected that it led to the master bedroom  
'Decided!' He said as he stepped to the door on the right and went through. It was spacious, as expected, and my eyes widened upon entering. It was perfect, everything seemed to match my tastes.  
'You like it?' He asked with a content smile on his face.  
'Are you kidding? It's everything I could possibly wish for.' I turned back to him and gave him a hug. 'Thank you, Doctor, for everything.' He hugged me back and nodded.  
'You're welcome.'

* * *

I slept and slept until I could sleep no more, until I could barely even keep my eyes closed for longer than 2 seconds. I was almost bouncing with energy.  
'Good morning~!' I said as I entered the kitchen, beaming with happiness.  
'Morning.' The Doctor smiled as he raised his cup of tea at me. 'Can I get you anything?'  
'The universe!' His eyes widened slightly before he stood, emptied his cup in one gulp and laughed at me.  
'One universe coming right up!' He grabbed my hand and led me through the corridors and up into the control room.  
'Anyplace you definitely want to go? Midnight?' I shook my head and stared off into the distance for a minute. I didn't know much about planets besides Gallifrey, I never really paid attention during planetography. When I couldn't think of anything at all I simply raised my shoulders.  
'Surprise me.' A somewhat naughty smile followed after that. He started tinkering with the buttons and switches and put his hand on a lever.  
'Oh you'll be surprised alright.' He pulled the lever and we both braced for the ride.


	7. Chapter 7 - Part 1 - Expansion

Chapter 7 Part 1 - Expansion

_A/N - So, it ended up being longer than I expected and I was forced to cut it up. This is part 1 of 4(maybe 5). So just a heads up, it's the beginning of the end, which might or might not involve tragic character death and/or smutty bits. Should I or shouldn't I? You let me know and maybe I'll reconsider  
Without further ado, chapter 7 - part 1, enjoy!_

* * *

As soon as the whirring of the TARDIS stopped, I turned to the Doctor so he could inform me as to where we'd landed.  
"Go look for yourself." He grinned. I excitedly ran up to the doors and burst through them, letting out a yell as I tumbled forward, unable to find any ground for my feet to land on. Instead of ground, I soon realized, there was a vast water mass underneath us. A vast water mass I'd just dived right in. The Doctor poked his head out the doors just as I surfaced again, spewing out the water. He frowned.  
"This isn't the Ood-Sphere…" He whispered as he went back inside, probably to check the coordinates. I reached up to grab the doorstep and hauled myself back into the ship.  
"Isn't this the ocean planet of Verizion Nine?" I remembered liking the pictures I'd seen of it. He looked up in surprise.  
"Very good." He complimented. "But this wasn't the destination I picked." I squeezed the water out of my hair and sighed, looking outside over my shoulder. The sky was a mix of dark blue and purple and I spotted two moons, one vastly bigger than the other. The water stretched out far beyond my sight and looked rather inviting. As far as I could remember, there were no hostile creatures on the planet either.  
"Why not stay? Go for a swim?" I made my way to the wardrobe and took the first swimming gear that I saw, quickly changing into it before making my way back to the control room.  
"Hey," He still had his eyes locked onto the screen, "maybe we shouldn't-" I'd already ran past him to properly dive out of the open doors. The underwater world looked absolutely beautiful and I wondered whether there was any scuba equipment on board.  
"You're not a good listener, are you?" The Doctor asked as I surfaced. He was leaning against the door post, grinning at me.  
"I can be. But why shouldn't we? As far as I know, the Naga are a pea-" Just as I was about to say 'peaceful', something grabbed my ankle and pulled me downwards. Looking down, I saw the scaly reptilian snakes that were the Naga, taking me along. One came closer and pressed his lips onto mine without even the slightest warning. I tried to push him away, but he was so much stronger, I didn't even stand a chance. As soon as he parted I opened my mouth to scream at him and -much to my surprise- I could. The Naga grinned at my surprise before turning and joining his kin in the swim down. I could breathe perfectly fine, under water. He'd given me that ability. What was it? An air bubble of some sort? Or was this permanent?

* * *

I was gawking at the brilliant under water scenery when we suddenly stopped. I looked up and shrieked at the huge castle in front of us.  
_'How the hell did I miss that?!'_ I thought as I observed the architecture. It seemed to be made out of coral and natural things you find in the sea. It looked almost like a fairy tale, to be honest. The tail around my ankle was removed and I opted making a run… swim for it, when I realized that they'd probably catch up to me before I'd gotten anywhere near the surface. They beckoned me to follow them and I did as asked, curiosity being my main drive.  
"You have no need to be afraid, human, we mean you no harm." One of them, the one that had granted me the breathing ability, said as he nodded. Being seen as a human could have advantages, so I decided it would be best not to correct him.  
"Alright. And thanks for this, by the way." I pointed to my mouth, indicating the breathing. He blinked.  
"You're welcome." He quickly swam ahead and I frowned for a moment, before coming to the conclusion that he'd misinterpreted.  
_'Flirting with reptiles. Lovely.'_ I thought sarcastically as I struggled to keep up with the rest.

* * *

I was completely exhausted by the time we'd reached the main hall and could only pant as I tried my best to stay close to the ground. Too bad that physics compelled me to rise again every single time. I sighed relieved when one of the Naga decided to keep me from drifting off by grabbing my shoulder.

* * *

After standing -or floating- around for what felt like five minutes, a door slammed open. (Don't ask me how a door can slam open under water, because apparently it can.) Through the door slithered a rather large female Naga with a headdress and fancy looking clothes.  
_'The Queen, I suppose.'_ I thought as I watched her take a seat on the throne. Now that I thought of it, this throne room looked much like the one on the Vatrena ship.  
"Human..?" One of her servants asked after she raised her hand. I wondered whether honesty would be more beneficial in a situation as this one, then decided it wasn't before nodding at the Queen.  
"Yes, m'am."  
"How did you get here, human?" The servant asked.  
"With a ship, m'am."  
"Are there others?" I shook my head. Now the element of surprise would be on our side if we'd ever need it.  
"Good." The Queen herself spoke.  
"I don't mean to be rude, but what'll happen to me?" One of the Naga swam up to her and whispered something in her ear.  
"You have been claimed." She smirked.  
"Claimed?" I asked surprised.  
"I have no doubt you'll be a great servant."  
"Doubt would probably be very well grounded here." I murmured as they grabbed my arms and took me away.

* * *

"I'm not pleased about this. This is probably against the law too. Holding innocent humans captive. The law will catch up to you, mark my words." I started sounding like an old madman after only an hour in the room. Perhaps it was because I was alone and uncertain of the future. Or maybe just because I was bored out of my mind. There was a bed -I figured it was that as I could see no other purpose for it- and that was it. There was nothing else, not even a mirror on the wall. Not that I wanted to see my reflection in this underwater world, but it's the idea that counts.  
"Someone listen to me, please." I whined. The door opened and the Naga who'd blatantly kissed me before came in.  
"Don't tell me you're the one who claimed me." He seemed slightly hurt by that.  
"Would I not suffice? I can give you anything your heart so desires." He slowly came closer, observing me.  
"For the record, is that a bed?" I gestured at the pile of seaweed and frowned. Avoiding the subject of 'being sufficient for something' was best left alone in my opinion, at least for the time being.  
"That is indeed a bed." He confirmed.  
"Cool." He lowered himself beside me and just stared for a moment.  
"You seem so familiar somehow." I blinked a few times.  
"Familiar?"  
"Yes, as if I've met you before."  
"It's my first time here, so I don't think...' I trailed of when I spotted a chain coming from his vest pocket. That would explain it. I held up my hand and looked at him.  
"May I?" I spotted a scaly blush as he nodded. I slowly reached for the chain and took it out. My heart jumped slightly and I let go, pulling back immediately.  
"What is wrong?" He asked, frowning.  
"I... Nothing, that's a pretty watch." I smiled. He returned the smile and nodded.  
"I have had this thing for ever. It is my most precious item." Naga weren't very materialistic beings as far as I knew, so for one to hold onto something was strange. That only confirmed my theory.  
"So, what's your name?"  
"I am known as Anan. And your name?"  
"I'm Haylee. Nice to meet you."  
"Nice to meet you too." He smiled kindly.  
"What'll you do to me though?" I asked cautiously.  
"You needn't worry. We've brought your ship down. I can show you, if you wish." My breath caught.  
"I'm not sure she's … waterproof." I'd never tested it and I knew that just assuming it would be foolish, Time Lords never had much with water to begin with.  
"Again, please do not fret." He took my hands into his scaly ones, they were rough to the touch. "We have constructed an air bubble around it. It is completely safe." I sighed relieved and came up with an idea.  
"Could you show me around? I'd love to see the palace." His eyes lit up and he got back up, taking me along.  
"We have special boots that will keep you to the ground, let us get those first." He said as he pulled me along out of the room.

* * *

The boots were something else. They felt incredibly light, but managed to keep me from floating up all the time. I could now walk and run as if I was on dry land.  
"This is so much better, thanks." I thanked my new friend. After having a casual talk with him, I discovered that he wasn't a bad guy at all. He was incredibly nice.  
"You are most welcome." He smiled. "I can imagine you would like to see your ship now."  
"I would, actually, if it's not too much trouble."  
"Not at all. Please follow me."

* * *

After following him through the maze that was the underwater palace, we arrived at a storage room where the TARDIS was waiting in her bubble.  
"I must admit, I have never seen a ship quite so…" He struggled to find the right word. "Blue." I nodded proudly as I walked up to her and scraped my throat.  
"Would you mind if I go into my ship which harbors no one at this moment?" I said loudly, perfectly sure that the Doctor would hear.  
"Not at all. Then you can show me around your ship in return." Anan smiled innocently and ignorantly. I entered the bubble and gasped as I sucked in the air. It was different from what I'd been breathing just now. I opened the door and walked in, hearing amazed gasps behind me.  
"It is bigger on the inside."  
"It is." I confirmed. "I shall now talk to the interface, which sounds like a man." The Doctor caught my drift and powered up the intercom from the hallway.  
"TARDIS?"  
"Yes." The Doctor's voice. Anan looked up in surprise.  
"Amazing." He murmured.  
'You have no idea.' I thought as I sighed.  
"Anyway. TARDIS, how have you been?"  
"Lonely."  
"Aww." I heard Anan behind me.  
"Well, TARDIS, I'd like you to meet Anan." I gestured at the Naga behind me. "Anan has a very nice watch." I turned to him. "Could you hold it up? The TARDIS really likes watches." Anan did as asked and took the watch from his pocket, holding it up and showing it around.  
"Very nice indeed. Haylee, could you come to your bedroom? I'm afraid something's happened there."  
"Oh dear. I better go check. Would you mind waiting here for a moment?" He put the watch back and nodded.  
"Of course." I thanked him, smiled and took off.  
"Don't touch anything!" I yelled just after I'd turned the corner.

* * *

I opened the door to my room, closed it behind me and leaned against it with a sigh. I was instantly taken into a hug by the Doctor.  
"You scared the living daylights out of me!" He said accusingly.  
"It's not like that was my fault." I said as I tapped his shoulder, signaling him to let me go. He reluctantly did and sighed. "He's-"  
"I know, I saw, but I don't know how he got here. I've never heard of the method changing a Time Lord into a Naga." He sounded baffled. He looked up. "Could you get him to open it?"  
"I'm not sure I want to… He seems kind of happy here." He just stared at me, before opening his mouth to say something, then closing it and opening it before closing it once more.  
"So, what you're saying, is that we let the Time Lord, of which there are now two left, live happily as a Naga for the rest of his life?" I raised my shoulders.  
"That's ridiculous! If there are more hidden Time Lords, then we should get as many of them back!" I sighed.  
"And then what? Hoard them in the TARDIS?" He shrugged.  
"It's big enough. At least until we've found a good planet." We sounded like a couple bickering over getting a new pet.  
"Don't you want to fill that emptiness in your heart?" He asked hopefully as he grabbed my shoulders.  
"I don't really feel that much emptiness… I can imagine it must be so much more difficult for you, but think of what it'd do to him. He might be incredibly unhappy."  
"I don't believe that." With that he brushed past me and started sprinting down the hallway.  
"Hey, wait!" I yelled after him as I followed.

* * *

I lost track of him after a while and figured he'd probably taken some shortcut only he knew of.  
"Dammit, Doctor." I muttered as I turned the corner to the control room to find him talking to Anan.  
"So, why don't you open it then?" I could hear Anan stammering a refusal, just as I had when I was in his position.  
"Stop it right there!" I said as I leaned against the control panel, panting. Apparently, my stamina wasn't up to a Time Lord standard yet. Anan quickly slithered over to me and hid behind me.  
"Who is that man?" He asked, sounding almost like a child.  
"He's someone who can't listen." I threw the Doctor an angry glance before turning to Anan.  
"Are you okay though?" He nodded.  
"But what is it with the watch? You reacted to it before too…"  
"Yeah… There's something I should tell you." He cautiously nodded.  
"First things first." I had to confirm that his situation was similar to my own.  
"You're an orphan?" He nodded, a surprised look on my face.  
"How do you-"  
"You can ask me later. And you've had that watch for as long as you can remember?" He nodded again. The Doctor was now standing beside me.  
"And you have never opened that watch before?"  
"Never…" He confirmed. I looked sideways at the Doctor, who was just staring at me. I let out a deep breath.  
"Okay. There's no denying it now. Go ahead, Doctor, tell him."  
"You started it, now you finish it." He sounded almost annoyed. I bit my lip, I didn't want to tell him.  
"Fine… Anan, I'm not a human."  
"You are not?" I shook my head.  
"I'm a Time Lord." His eyes widened at the word.  
"Our home planet, Gallifrey, was lost in a war and some of us escaped by changing our molecular structure to that of a different species. The Time Lord essence was then stored in a watch to wait until it would be opened, then we'd become a Time Lord once more. That happened to me." I took out my own watch and showed it to him.  
"They are identical…" He concluded after watching it for a moment. I nodded.  
"You're actually a Time Lord too and if you open that watch, you will once again become one. It's completely up to you whether you choose to do it or not." I explained. He frowned.  
"This is…" He let out a nervous laugh. "This seems so surreal." He turned the watch over in his hands. "This may sound silly, but I have always felt slightly out of place here. Maybe that is because of… this."  
"I know the feeling." I agreed.  
"I think I should do it." He told me as he held his finger over the button, I could see how he was shaking.  
"You're certain? There's no turning back after you click that button." I warned, I really didn't want him to make a choice he'd regret later.  
"I am. If this is not who I am, then what is the point of living a lie?"  
"Wise words." The Doctor whispered.  
"Alright then. Good luck." We both took a step backwards and watched as he pressed the button.

* * *

I couldn't handle the bright light that followed and had to avert my eyes. The Doctor, however, kept his eyes fixed on Anan, determined to watch the expansion of his race, no matter how small.  
"You must be happy now." I muttered to the Doctor once the light got less strong.  
"Why? He made the choice, didn't he?" I shrugged.  
"I wonder if he'll regret it."  
"Do you?"  
"No, no I don't, but I had nothing left back there. Maybe he had friends or his adoptive parents or whatever."  
"Maybe."  
"We should probably put him in a bed." I stared at Anan's unconscious body on the ground.  
"We should, yeah." The Doctor agreed.

* * *

Once we'd hauled his body to a bed, we stepped back to actually take a good look at the changes that'd occurred.  
"What do you think?"  
"You know what I think." I grinned. "That's just plain handsomeness, right there in that bed."  
"You were thinking of 'hotness', though."  
"All comes down to the same thing, doesn't it?" Anan's newly found hair was a very dark brown, almost black and reached down to his ears. He was tall and well proportioned, with a fair amount of muscle spread across his body. His face had remained the same, except for the scales. He still had deep green eyes and a perfect jawline.  
"You pay attention to someone's jaws?" The Doctor asked baffled.  
"Will you stop reading my mind? It's getting annoying and yes, I appreciate a nice jawline on someone." I snickered when the Doctor turned his head in such a way that his jaw stuck out a little.  
"Is it normal to pass out? I didn't."  
"I didn't either."  
"I wonder if he's going to be okay…"  
"I wonder if we can go now."  
"Where do you want to go?"  
"I still want to show you the Ood-Sphere."  
"I'm still looking forward to it." I smiled at the thought of foreign planets and adventures.  
"You coming?" I looked up in surprise, seeing he was already at the door. I shook my head.  
"I'll wait for him to come to. We can't have people getting lost in here, can we now?"  
"Mhmm." He hesitantly took off.


	8. Chapter 7 - Part 2 - Welcome Home

**Chapter 7 Part 2**

_A/N: Okay, here I am again, I have finals next week so I figured I'd just quickly post this before I walk through the gates of hell and straight to my doom...  
__But about the story, I'm just going to keep at it until I find a fitting end, because it's not going to be anytime soon, I realized. But Anan is a nice new addition to the team, ehehehe. Basically...  
_

_...The Doctor isn't all that happy about his choice anymore and he desperately tries to keep the consequences to a minimum._

* * *

"Welcome back." I yawned as Anan finally opened his eyes.  
"Whu?" I pulled up a brow at the strange word and saw that he was just as confused as me.  
"Sorry, I meant, where am I?"  
"Of course, how could I not understand that… You're in the TARDIS, the ship. How're you feeling?"  
"Not bad. Tired. Different."  
"I can imagine. You had a _tail_." He let out a laugh.  
"I hope I did not keep you up?"  
"Nah, don't worry about it. I'm still getting used to the Time Lord rhythms anyway." He rested his head on the pillow again and stared at the ceiling.  
"There really is no turning back, is there?"  
"I told you that." I sighed. "Is there anyone we have to notify of this? Foster parents, friends, anyone?" He shook his head.  
"I do not have any."  
"Of either?"  
"I raised myself here." He suddenly sat up. "I feel a lot more in place now, though. Is that normal?"  
"Well, I think so. I guess I felt something similar. But you should stay down until you're fully rested. Give it another night and you'll feel a lot better." He did as asked and lay back down.  
"You have my thanks, Haylee, for looking after me. I owe you a great deal."  
"Don't worry about it. I didn't really do anything but sit here."  
"You stayed and watched over me. That is more than I could ever wish for." He insisted.  
"Alright then, no problem. I did step out for tea once though." We laughed.  
"Still. This time, you do not have to stay. If you would not mind, I wish to be alone for a while. To… to think things over. Is that okay?" I stood.  
"Of course." I pointed to a button on the wall. "Just press that if you need anything." He nodded.  
"Thank you again."  
"No problem, again."

* * *

"Had fun?" The Doctor asked as soon as I entered the control room.  
"You were the one who was watching." He looked up in surprise.  
"I did no such thing."  
"Of course you didn't." I grinned.  
"I'm starting to see what you meant though." I frowned.  
"About hoarding?" He nodded.  
"I've been looking for vacant planets and I must say there are quite a few suitable ones."  
"Just assuming that they're suitable isn't sufficient, you know."  
"I was going to go look!" He objected.  
"I know, honestly. Have we taken off yet?" He shook his head.  
"You wanted to wait to let him say goodbye, didn't you?"  
"I did, but he said there was no one." I walked up to him and gave him a hug. "Thanks for waiting." He shrugged.  
"Can we go now?"  
"We can. Where to?"  
"The original plan?"  
"Sounds good." I smiled as I watched him turn back to the console to enter the coordinates. This was a life I could get used to. Traveling, meeting all sorts of people, doing all sorts of things. That sounded like a perfect life to me.

* * *

"What're you smiling about?" I looked up, realizing I'd dozed off for a moment. The Doctor couldn't keep a smirk off his face.  
"What were you dreaming about?" He asked curiously as I sat up.  
"Don't remember…" I yawned. "But if I was smiling it must've been something good." I looked around, the TARDIS was completely still.  
"We've arrived?"  
"A while ago, I didn't want to wake you yet." He walked up to the doors and turned to me. "Prepare to see one of the most beautiful sights in the universe." I jumped to my feet and ran up to him.  
"I'm ready."  
"Then open the doors." He sounded as if he was completing a ritual, but I was more than happy to partake and nodded before slowly opening the doors.

* * *

It was ice cold, but my mouth fell open when I saw the immense snow-covered mountains. I slowly walked out, my feet sinking away to my ankles in the snow.  
"This is amazing…' I whispered at last as I touched the fresh snow. A coat was draped over my shoulders and I gratefully looked at the Doctor.  
"Thank you." He smiled.  
"You're welcome. This is something you have to see at least once." I stepped further into the landscape as I pulled the coat closer around me.  
"Something tells me I'm going to see this more than once."  
"Quite right." He nodded.  
"I've always wanted to try this." I said as I spread my arms and let myself fall face first into the snow. The coolness was nice for a few minutes, but then turned into a nasty sting and I was forced to retreat to the warmth of the TARDIS.  
"That looked incredibly silly." He grinned. I raised my shivering shoulders.  
"C-Couldn't l-leave it." I stuttered. My teeth were chattering and I was shivering all over, even with the thick coat around me.  
"Come here, I'll help." I stood and he instantly eveloped me in a hug. His warmth seemed to help more than the coat would ever be able to. I laid my head against his chest and just listened to the rhythm of his heartbeats. His grip suddenly tightened and I looked up at him, seeing him glancing at the hallway. Looking over my shoulder, I could see Anan standing in the opening, shuffling around uncomfortably. I gently pushed the Doctor away, he reluctantly released me and sniffed.  
"Thanks, I feel a lot warmer now." I took the coat off and draped it over the railing. I turned to Anan.  
"You all healthy and fit again?" I asked as I bounced up to him.  
"I feel better, yes, thank you."  
"And you remember things?" He looked around.  
"A TARDIS, right?" I nodded.  
"That's right! Very good. Anything else?"  
"Yeah… I actually want to go home. To Gallifrey." I took a step backwards. I'd completely forgotten about that.  
"Anan, Gallifrey-'  
"Gallifrey is gone." I rolled my eyes at how sensitively he brought it. Anan's eyes widened.  
"It was lost in the Time War. We're the only living Time Lords left." He turned to me, a frightened look on his face.  
"It's true. You can feel it too, can't you?" He turned his eyes to the ground and let out a deep breath.  
"I can." He muttered to the ground. "I can." I stood beside him and patted his back.  
"But you know what's good? We've found out that there's more people like you. If we can find them, then we're just going to start all over again. The important thing is that we're all still here." He took a deep breath, looked up and nodded as he let it out.  
"You are right. It is the future that must be thought of." The Doctor grimaced. His hands were deep in his pockets and his posture was threatening.  
"And then what? Forget what happened in the past?"  
"I implied no such thing."  
"Good, because I won't forget what I saw. I won't forget all the lives I've seen fade right before my eyes."  
"And you don't have to. Those things have to be remembered, that's important. As someone I knew always said "Keep one foot in the past, but always be ready to step into the future.". I want to honor what that person said."  
"Did she say that?" The Doctor asked. I nodded.  
"We should _all_ heed that advice."

* * *

"We should head on." The Doctor murmured as he sipped his tea. Indeed, he was right, we looked like a bunch of old ladies the way we were all having tea and scones.  
"You're right!" I said as I stood. "Where to?"  
"We could start looking at the list of planets." He suggested.  
"Sounds like a good plan to me. I like having the idea of having a permanent home." The Doctor looked slightly offended.  
"And the TARDIS isn't?"  
"Well, it's more like a very very luxurious caravan. I mean like a real home on a planet to which you can return every now and then, you know?"  
"No… This is home." He sounded like a child and Anan snickered in response.  
"I have to agree with Haylee. A permanent home would be nice."  
"Right? So, let's go look at planets." With that I grabbed a scone, turned and marched out of the kitchen.

"You can't blame us for wanting something permanent." I said in reply to the Doctor's angry mutters.  
"Why not?"  
"We've lived in one place for quite some time. I guess that just stayed somehow." He growled, admitting that I had a point.  
"That is a good explanation." Anan complimented me as he walked beside me. "I had not even looked at it that way." I looked at him and smiled.  
"Well, I've had more time to get used to this than you. But thank you." I accepted the compliment, just as Cass had taught me when we were 13.

* * *

I'd always just stared in disbelief when someone complimented me on something, so she thought it was necessary to teach me the proper way of accepting a compliment.

* * *

"In what kind of place would you like to live?" I asked Anan as we entered the control room. He thought for a moment.  
"I prefer warm climates, I think. And some water nearby would be enjoyable. How about yourself?"  
"Hmm, I guess I don't really mind. Something warm would be nice. And mountains, mountains would be amazing. But then again, anything's fine, really. I'm not picky."  
"Lucky you." The Doctor said as he rushed past us and started tinkering with the controls. "I've found a place that matches that description exactly."  
"Really?" I asked excitedly.  
"Really."

* * *

When the whirring of the TARDIS stopped, I slowly walked up to the doors, then back over my shoulder to wait for permission. Both the men nodded at me and I slowly opened the doors. My mouth dropped open out of sheer amazement. I was staring at a valley from the top of a mountain. In the lush, green valley below ran a river with azure blue water. I stepped outside and stood at the edge of the mountain, carefully looking down. It was a long way down and I quickly stepped back.  
"Do you like it?" I looked over my shoulder and nodded before turning back to the view, determined not to miss a moment of it.  
"Then why are you crying?" I brought up my hand to my eyes and realized that he was right.  
"It's just so beautiful…" I felt an arm around me and smiled at the Doctor.  
"So you could live here?"  
"Definitely." I wiped the tears away and turned back to the TARDIS to see Anan having a similar reaction to mine.  
"But Anan wanted a warm climate with water. We shouldn't rule out everything else yet, right?" Anan blinked a few times and nodded.  
"Yes, right." He quickly said.  
"Alright, if you wish. Let's go to the next one." The Doctor said on a heavy tone as he took his arm away and quickly walked back into the TARDIS.

* * *

The next planet was covered in dense wooded areas, almost like a jungle.  
"I'm not quite sure about this." I muttered as I poked my head out the door, instantly seeing something slither away into the darkness.  
"Neither am I." Anan agreed as he stood behind me.  
"Why not? Don't like a little nature around you?" The Doctor joined us. "You could build your homes in the trees." I stared at him over my shoulder, the smile on his face was immense. I couldn't help but laugh.  
"It sounds cool, but I'm not sure if I want something to crawl into my bed at night." He opened his mouth to say something, but quickly closed it again before walking back to the control panel. We quickly closed the door and patiently waited for the next stop.

* * *

"This is…" I shivered. "I think it's a little too cold." I stepped out into the snow and looked around. It was quite flat, nothing like the Ood-Sphere we'd visited before.  
"I thought you'd say that." The Doctor said as he beckoned me back inside.

* * *

"That was it, actually." He said as he randomly pushed a few buttons.  
"Well, I think that's not such a difficult choice, right?"  
"I agree." Anan nodded.  
"The first one then?" We both nodded.  
"The first one."

* * *

We headed back to the first planet and stepped out onto the mountain again.  
"What's it called actually?" I wondered out loud as I looked around.  
"Officially it's called Galarada Five." The Doctor stated. I frowned.  
"Galarada?"  
"Five." He added. "But as it's uninhabited, you could always rename it." He walked closer and smiled.  
"Consider it a gift."  
"I can name it?" I asked surprised. He nodded.  
"Really? I can name a planet?' I asked excitedly.  
"It's not official, but-"  
"Oh, thank you!" I impulsively threw my arms around him and hugged him tightly. This was such a privilege, I couldn't even grasp it. I let go and looked back to Anan.  
"But we're all going to live here. You guys have to be okay with it too."  
"I'm okay with anything." The Doctor said as he raised his shoulders.  
"The same goes for me. It is your choice." Anan nodded.  
"Okay… What about… Euthymia?" They both stared at me, waiting for an explanation.  
"It's Greek for good spirits or joy."  
"I like it, it sounds nice." Anan commented.  
"Doctor? Is it okay with you?" He was still staring blankly at me. Then blinked a few times when I called his name.  
"Yeah, it's amazing. I knew you'd pick a beautiful name." He quickly said.  
"Alright, it's decided then?" They both nodded.  
"Welcome home, welcome to Euthymia."


	9. Chapter 8 - Pretending

**Chapter 8**

_A/N: PROCRASTINATION! That is pretty much a description of what has been going on in my life. I'm working to change it, so bear with me.  
__This was about 6 pages in Word, though it seems a lot less in here..._

_Also, if any of you have any tips, please share them with me ^^  
Enjoy!_

The three have to find a job, a new companion introduces herself and a whole lot of drama!

* * *

"How did you want to build a house here, though?" Anan asked as we wandered around the mountain.

"Now that you mention it…" I turned to the Doctor walking behind us. "Is there like a company that comes to your planet to build houses?" He looked up and frowned.

"I suppose there is, but that's going to cost us."

"Then we should go earn some money first. Surely you know of a place we could work." I patted his shoulder.

"I might… But we'll have to stay in this part of the universe and we'll have to stay in this time line, otherwise the money might be different." He muttered to himself as he returned to the TARDIS.

"I had this job as a maid once, it was hilarious." I said as I followed him. "We had to dress up in those maid costumes and always address the customers with 'master' or 'milady'. I'm pretty sure one of the regulars totally had a crush on me." I grinned at the memories. The guy would look at me all the time when he was there, he didn't take his eyes off me even once.

"That sounds slightly degrading." Anan said as he entered after me, closing the door behind him.

"It wasn't that bad. Though I heard rumors of some maids who were assaulted after work hours."

"Then we know what job not to give you." The Doctor chimed in as he stood beside us. "You can choose though, I can get you any job you want."

"I would like a job that involves animals." Anan announced.

"A waitress?"

"Didn't you hear me just now?"

"The 'then we know what job not to give you' part or the 'I can get you any job in the world' part?"

"The first one."

"It's not the same as being a maid, it's the normal version and you don't have to wear anything flashy. At least on Earth… I don't know about the rest of the universe…" The Doctor sighed and shook his head.

"_Any job_." He stressed.

"I heard, but I don't have any qualifications…"

"Alright, I'll just pick something for you."

* * *

"This is practically the busiest planet in the entire universe." The Doctor said while blocking the door. "So, _please_ _try_ not to get lost."

"I never get lost." Anan said proudly.

"I always get lost." It was true though, I probably had the worst sense of direction in all of human, no wait, Time Lord history. He walked up to me and took my hand.

"Not like this." He smiled encouragingly.

"Then it's all good." I returned his smile.

* * *

Anan had received a job at the intergalactic pet shop. Some of the animals I knew, others were so strange that I wasn't even sure whether they were actually natural. Genetic manipulation was already something normal in this age. The Doctor worked at a toys shop and I found out my 'surprise job' was basically just being a salesperson in a clothes store. That wasn't so hard, was it?

* * *

By the time the bell rang, indicating lunch break, I was pretty much dead. I didn't even have the strength to move from my shop to the toy shop across the aisle. It looked way too busy anyway.

"Hello." I looked up in surprise to find a young woman beside me. It wasn't so much surprise as to finding her there. The surprise part was caused by her blueness. Because that's what she was, very very blue. She was tall and had her dark purple hair in a meter-long pony tail.

"Hello," I forced myself back on my feet. "how may I help you?"

"I'm looking for a vest with an inside pocket."

"An inside pocket… I think we have a few. They're not made as much anymore though." I said as I walked over to a pile of vests and started rummaging through it.

"I know, I've looked literally everywhere. I really want that though, it's for my watch." My breath stopped for a moment.

"Your watch?"

"Yeah, pretty weird for me to still have a watch when everything's digitalized, right?"

"No, not at all, I have one too. This has an inside pocket as well." I gestured at the vest I was wearing.

"And where'd you get that one?"

"I honestly have no idea. It was lying around." I wanted to add "in the TARDIS", but then quickly shut my mouth. I pulled a vest from the pile and held it up, it was bright yellow.

"I don't think that's going to work…" She said as she frowned.

"No, probably not. You know what? Just any vest will do, you know."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, you don't necessarily need an inside pocket."

"But I want to put the watch there."

"I mean that you don't have to buy one that has that. You can always make it yourself. I've done it plenty times before, so I could do it if you want."

"I only have a little bit of mo-"

"Free of charge, of course." Her eyes lit up.

"Really?" I nodded.

"Just get one you like and I'll make an inside pocket. I'm on break anyway." She gasped.

"Really? Oh, I'm so sorry for bothering you during your break."

"That's fine, I'm glad I can be of service."

* * *

After guiding her through the masses, we arrived back at the TARDIS. It was parked in such a way that it seemed to be the entrance to any ordinary house, so I didn't need to worry about her freaking out about the 'bigger on the inside' thing.

"Come on in." I said as I unlocked the door and pushed it open. She followed me and I could tell from the noises behind me that she liked the interior.

"Your house looks amazing."

"Thank you very much." I draped the vest over the control panel and quickly got the sowing kit from the wardrobe.

"So, what's your name?" I asked as I walked back down the stairs.

"I'm Ren."

"Nice to meet you, I'm Haylee," I turned to the vest and nodded. "This is really easy." I said as I took a piece of cloth and neatly sowed it to the inside of the vest. "Just like that, an inside pocket. Go on, try it." She nodded and happily put the vest on, taking out a fob watch and putting it into the pocket.

"Wow, it fits perfectly! It's almost like you knew what kind of watch I meant."

"I did." I took out my own and held it up to her. She frowned.

"It's exactly the same as mine." I nodded.

"Would you mind if I ask you some questions?"

"Not at all."

"Are you an orphan?" Her eyes widened slightly.

"How do you know?"

"I'll get to that later. Next question. You've had that watch for as long as you can remember?" She nodded.

"And you've never opened it before?" It was like I was unconsciously setting up routine questions. She nodded again. I let out a deep breath and gestured at the chair by the control panel, she slowly sat down and stared intently at me, waiting for an explanation.

"Alright, judging by the watch and the answers you've given me, I think I can safely say that you're not quite what you think you are. There was a planet once, a planet that harbored an ancient race called Time Lords. One day, that planet went to war. A war some knew couldn't be won. Some of the Time Lords rewrote the biologies of loved ones and sent them away to protect them. The Time Lord essence was then stored in a watch, a fob watch just like mine and just like yours."

"So, I'm one of them- one of you?" I nodded.

"And you can become one again if you open that watch." She looked at the thing in her hands and let her finger go over the button a few times.

"You won't be able to turn back afterwards, so please make sure you think it over properly." I warned her.

"You did it too, I assume?" I nodded.

"And does it… does it hurt?" I shook my head.

"Not at all." That was a lie, but I what the Doctor had said before kept playing through my mind. It was important to get as many Time Lords back as we possibly could. We couldn't just let our race die out like that, it was our obligation.

"Well, I didn't really like this life anyway." She said as she pressed the button. The blinding light was less harsh this time and unlike Anan, she stayed fully conscious throughout the whole thing.

* * *

As soon as the light started to fade, she hurled herself at me and wrapped her hands around my throat as she pushed me against the control panel.

"It hurst like hell, you liar!" She said as she increased the pressure, making it harder for me to breathe. I squeaked an apology as I clawed at her hands around my throat. She was panting and sweat was trickling down her forehead. Her hair color had remained the same, but her skin tone had gone from a bright blue to a pale white. The room around me started to spin and I started feeling light in my head, my efforts to break free slowly got less powerful until I could barely even try anymore. My vision blurred and then a black haze started advancing from the corners of my eyes until I could see nothing more than darkness. I heard the TARDIS door opening and fell to the ground when she released me, lying perfectly still aside from the movement that was made when taking in huge amounts of air. My body was put on its back and my head was on someone's lap. When the darkness before me disappeared, I instantly recognized the two worried faces hovering over me.

"Are you alright?" Anan asked. I scraped my sore throat and nodded as I sat up.

"Awesome." I saw that the young woman was standing by the door. "Please stop!" I quickly said.

"Why should I?" The Doctor stood and I could see outright fury on his face.

"Because you owe her an apology! At the very least!" He yelled. The woman's eyes widened. I tugged at the Doctor's sleeve and shook my head when he turned to me.

"She doesn't. It was my fault for lying to her."

"What about?" Anan joined.

"The pain…" They both knew what I meant.

"Exactly, so I owe no one an apology." She wanted to walk away, but Anan stopped her. My brain hadn't processed exactly how he got from next to me to the door so quickly, but I figured it was because of the lack of oxygen just moments ago.

"Where are you going?" She looked him up and down with a contemptuous look in her eyes.

"That's none of your business, is it now?" He was taken aback slightly by the sharp tone, but closed the door when she opened it to leave.

"Allow us to explain what has happened. After that, you are free to go." She narrowed her eyes in suspicion, then took a step away from the door.

"She's already explained it pretty well, aside from that one thing."

"I'm really sorry, I just thought…" Looking back, I found that my reason for lying wasn't as good as it had seemed before. I shook my head.

"That was selfish of me and I apologize. It was wrong."

"Apology _not_ accepted." She snapped as she wanted to leave, but again Anan blocked her way.

"I'm kind of dangerous at the moment, boy, you don't know what you're doing."

"Look at yourself now, Ren, you look different from before. Anyone who knew you probably won't recognize you." Her facial features had changed slightly as well, such as eye color and her jaw line. She looked around, spotted a mirror and marched over, gasping at her reflection.

"Surely you remember everyone from Gallifrey?" The Doctor asked, trying to sound sympathetic. She looked to the ground and took a deep breath, before turning back to us.

"Alright fine, I'll go with you lot." She said as she dove into the nearest hallway.

"Wait, you might get lost-" Anan said as he wanted to follow her.

"I know how a TARDIS works, doofus." The Doctor and I both burst out into laughter.

"Let's get back to work before we get fired, doofus." I said when the laughter had died down to grins.

"Are you sure you feel up for it?" The Doctor's ability to switch from 'having fun' to 'dead serious' was remarkable.

"No problem. I'm healthy as a horse."

* * *

"Look, I got a bonus!" The Doctor said happily when he came back in the evening, he was waving around a whole stack of notes.

"A bonus on your first day?" I asked skeptically.

"I'm a very likable person, apparently."

"Normal people would have to screw their boss to get that." Ren said as she leaned against the wall.

"He's not normal." I said as I yawned.

"Oi!"

"Seriously though, you tricked a machine into giving you that, didn't you?" He pouted.

"No…" I let out a deep breath.

"Well, you got it now, no use in trying to shove it back into the machine."

"Good, because I've already found a company who's willing to build a small village for exactly this amount of money."

"Then we should head home. I'm sure Ren would love to see the planet we picked." She let out a slight growl.

"Nothing can replace Gallifrey."

"It's not a replacement. It's…"

"A whole new start." Anan finished for me.

"Exactly, thank you."

"You are most welcome."

* * *

The construction workers had already started by the time we got back and work was progressing nicely. I sat next to Anan on a pile of wood and looked around, seeing Ren retreating into the TARDIS.

I guessed that Ren had been quite a bit older than me when she was 'turned', as we'd started calling it. Anan had also been older than me, but that difference wasn't as big. Ren seemed to be only a little younger than the Doctor.

"Something is bothering you, is it not?" Anan asked.

"What? Oh, no…"

"Really?"

"No."

"Then tell me." I let out a deep breath.

"It's just that I'm slightly worried about Ren's age."

"Her age?" He asked surprised. Then he realized what I meant. "Oh, because the Doctor..?" I nodded uncomfortably.

"I do not think it is something you have to worry about. It seems very clear to me that he likes you." I looked up.

"Really?" He nodded.

"Think about how worried he was about you when you fainted earlier today."

"I guess.., but you were worried too."

"A lot less than him. I think that if you tell him right now how you feel, he will faint from happiness." We both laughed.

"You think I should then?"

"Yes."

"Okay." I stood. "I think I might…"

"Good, let me know what happened."

* * *

I marched through the corridors of the TARDIS, brimming with confidence. I stood in front of the door to his room and took a few deep breaths before opening it and putting a step inside. My eyes widened slightly when I saw the Doctor lying on his bed, Ren on top of him, the two locked in a fiery kiss.

"Oh- uh- sorry for interrupting- good luck with- yeah." With that I stepped back and closed the door, not hesitating before sprinting through the corridor and back outside. I located Anan and clasped onto him. He awkwardly hugged me back and frowned.

"What happened?"

"You were wrong."

"Are you positive? I do not think-"

"I saw Ren _on top of him_. You were wrong." He blinked in surprise and patted my back.

"Alright, I am truly sorry for lying to you then. It was not my intention."

"You didn't on purpose, I thought so too..." My body shocked heavily as the tears came spilling out. I'd always thought it would be stupid to cry over guys, but now that I experienced it first hand, it was the only thing I could do and it made perfect sense.

"One house is already finished. Want to go take a look?" He obviously tried to cheer me up. I straightened my back and nodded at him, sniffing once and wiping my tears.

"Yeah, I'm kind of curious."

* * *

The house was spacious, even big enough for all of us, I'd say. Not that I had any intention to live with anyone anymore. All I longed for now was solitude.

"What about furniture?" I wondered out loud.

"We can just buy some. Perhaps the TARDIS has some spare furniture in it as well. Shall we get it and decorate this place?" I wanted to protest, but then figured that avoiding things would change nothing.

"Yeah, I'll ask her."

* * *

The TARDIS led us to a room with all sorts of stuff that wasn't used anymore. Old control rooms, old living rooms, old bedrooms.

"There's even a trolley." I said as I took out the little cart and looked at it.

"We can use that to transport the couches and chairs."

"My thoughts exactly, let's load them on there." We carefully loaded a couch, two chairs and a small table onto the cart.

"I can not see where to go. You could sit on one of the chairs and tell me which way to go." Anan said, gesturing at the chair at the front of the cart.

"You sure? I'm kind of heavy."

"Do not fret, I am sure I can handle it." I carefully sat down and nodded.

"Onwards!"

* * *

Accompanied by laughter, we made our way back to the house to set up the furniture in the living room.

"Whew, I think we did a good job on the living room." I said as I fell down onto the couch, panting from the lifting work.

"Indeed, it looks good." Anan agreed. I yawned and looked out through the window. The wind played a lovely melody.

"I'm actually surprised that there wasn't any life on this planet. It looks perfect."

"I do not know either, but I do not plan to worry about that. Let us just enjoy the peacefulness while we can."

"While we can?"

"I have a feeling things will go downhill sooner or later." I stood up and stretched out.

"I'm going over to the stream, look around a bit. Be right back."

* * *

"No, no, no. I named this place 'joy' for a reason. Things can't go downhill." I worried out loud as I crouched down by the stream, watching the water cabble ever so peacefully.

"Well, still, it's so peaceful now… How could it possibly go downhill?" An image of the Doctor and Ren shot before my eyes and I quickly shook my head.

"That's not it. Definitely not."

"What's not?" I shot up upon hearing Ren's voice behind me. She was standing atop of the hill and slowly descended, her hands shoved in her pockets and her long hair tied back in a pony tail.

"Nothing, just blabbering to myself." I quickly said, suddenly feeling slightly intimidated.

"Whatever. Anyway. You saw, didn't you?" I knew what she meant and nodded.

"Face it, kid, he's too old for you. He's much better off with me. You just run along back to that other guy, he's more your age." I stared at my feet, unsure of what to say. I knew that the age difference was incredibly large and I knew she was right, he probably was better off with her. She knew what it meant to be a full-fledged Time Lord, like him. I was still so young when I was sent away.

"Yeah, you're right. I-I won't interfere if that's what you're thinking." I laughed nervously. "I only want what's best for him… and you."

"Good." She took one of her hands out of her pocket, revealing a device I recognized as a recorder. "Now I even got proof. Thanks kiddo, see you around." With that, she turned and marched back up the hill.

"Proof?" I murmured as I kicked at the water. "As if he won't see that himself…" I suddenly felt the urge to just fell forward into the water and splash about like a little kid.

Pretending not to have any worries, pretending everything was normal.

Pretending that the grass was a deep red and the skies a blazing orange, pretending that the Citadel was still in the background.

Just to feel as if, even for a second, I was back on Gallifrey.

**Back home**


	10. Chapter 9 - Thinking

**Chapter 9 - Thinking**

* * *

_A/N: Okay, so, I'm really sorry, but this is the end!  
(Well, after a conclusion, which will be the very short chapter 10)_

I feel kind of guilty for ending it when I said I would continue only two chapters ago...

_But it just felt like the right thing to do..._

Anyway, enjoy this prelude to the end!

* * *

Things go downhill as Anan predicted and just when everything had seemed to turn out for the better!

* * *

After lying on the hill, daydreaming, I found that I'd fallen asleep at one point, because when I woke up, it was night time. Waking up and having the first thing you see, be the northern lights was something incredibly spectacular. For a while, I was just stunned by the intense beauty of the night sky here.

"I can certainly get used to this." I said as I sat up and took a deep breath. The cold air felt great and I considered staying out for a while longer, deciding against it when I heard my name being called in the distance. I quickly ran up the hill, finding the Doctor at the base on the other side. I took a few steps backwards in an attempt to avoid him, but he'd already spotted me.

"Haylee!" He yelled as he waved abundantly. I slowly walked down to him and nodded, feigning a smile.

"Sorry, I fell asleep by the stream." I said as I passed by him.

"Did you sleep well?"

"Uh, yeah, I guess so. Though I'm still a bit tired..."

"I guess you're still adjusting to the Time Lord rhythm."

"It's probably because I'm a lot younger. My rhythm is probably just different from yours." The words kind of came out unintentionally, but it might've actually been a valid reason.

"Y-Yeah, maybe…" This had been the first time I'd heard the Doctor stammer, even if just a little, he always knew what he was going to say and rarely ever doubted that.

* * *

"It was really weird." I explained to Anan. "Almost as if he felt guilty or uncertain about something. At least, that's what it sounded like to me."

"Perhaps that relates to what happened this morning?" I really liked how I could treat Anan as a personal psychologist, he was pretty good at it too.

"How could it? I don't really see how…"

"I do not see it either at this point. I everything will reveal itself over time. You need not worry." But that was exactly what I did.

* * *

And that in turn made it impossible for me to get any sleep. Sleeping on the couch wasn't exactly comfortable either. With a loud sigh, I got up and wandered over to the window. Anan had gone back to the TARDIS to sleep and I guessed that Ren and the Doctor had done the same. Figuring the TARDIS might have some interesting bed time stories for me, I quickly left for the blue box parked only a few feet from the house. I closed the door behind me, trying to be as quiet as possible, but felt that I was not alone. I was right, I wasn't.

"Couldn't sleep either?" The Doctor asked from the chair by the control panel.

"Guess I already did a fair amount of that this afternoon." I said as I leaned against the railing.

"Yeah, sorry if I woke you, by the way." I shook my head.

"I was already awake, just admiring the night sky." It remained silent for a while and I shifted uncomfortably under the weight of said silence.

"Hey, can I… Can I ask you something?" He ended the silence.

"Sure." He got off the chair and walked up to me, halting.

"Do you really think I'm too old?" I frowned.

"For what?" He looked away, a slight blush on his cheeks.

"You…" My eyes widened in surprise.

"I- No, why would you think that?" Because that was it. I saw all sorts of problems because of the age difference, but him being too old hadn't really been a problem for me. He seemed surprised by my answer.

"Ren said-" His face clouded and anger took over his features. "Damn her." He wanted to walk away, but I grabbed his arm, holding him back.

"Why? What is it?"

"She tricked me. She said she talked to you and you said you didn't want me because I was too old. She even had some sort of recording for it."

"That recorded conversation wasn't about that at all."

"It wasn't really a conversation as much as 3 words."

"No, that's just a part of it. She said you'd be better off with her because your ages aren't that far apart."

"And what did you say?"

"I… I said she was probably right. Because you've already seen so many things and already know what it's like to be a Time Lord and I'm basically just starting out. What I'm saying is that I'm not on par with you and that's why-"

"That's ridiculous." He interrupted. "Absolutely and utterly ridiculous."

"It's not, it's just me being realistic."

"Without taking me into consideration. I feel perfectly on par with you and anyone else for that matter. Age and experience have nothing to do with that." I blinked, remembering how he'd asked me if he was too old for me. Wasn't that basically an invitation of sorts? To a relationship, perhaps? I coughed and shivered slightly, thinking of what it'd feel if it wasn't and I was just misinterpreting completely.

"Are you cold? I can get some blankets if you want." The Doctor said, instantly on guard.

"No, it's fine. I was just… thinking of something."

"You shouldn't think too much. Gives you wrinkles." My hand instantly went up to my forehead, feeling for said wrinkles.

"But judging by that wrinkleless face of yours, you haven't done much thinking yet up until now." He grinned and I playfully punched his arm.

"Meanie."

"Always." Suddenly, the lights dimmed and slow music started playing in the background. I rolled my eyes and looked to the control panel.

"Well, I guess I should do something now." He held out his hand. "May I have this dance?" With a slight blush on my cheeks, I took his hand and we slowly started shuffling around the control panel.

"I didn't know you could dance."

"I- … Someone taught me." There was a hint of sadness in his voice and I guessed that someone on Gallifrey must've taught him, but I could've been wrong.

* * *

We shuffled on and on and I eventually got slightly dizzy, having to sit down for a moment. The lights came back on and the music slowly faded away.

"Your adjusting is taking quite some time." The Doctor said as he patted my back. I wondered if that was actually the reason for my lesser Time Lord senses. What if this was permanent?

"It won't be, don't worry." He read my mind. My tiredness had weakened the barrier around my thoughts for a moment.

"Let my guard down." I panted. Not even in my human form had I been this out of shape, it wasn't even that intense to be honest.

"I think you'll be able to sleep now." The Doctor tried to sound lighthearted, but I could tell he was worried.

"I do feel kind of tired." I admitted. Without even the slightest warning, he picked me up bridal style and started walking.

"But I should sleep in the house." I whined.

"There's not even a bed there. Wait until it's properly furnished." The door to my room opened for us and closed again after we'd gone in. He put me down onto the bed ever so gently and pulled the covers up, sitting down once I was properly tucked in.

"When the workers are done tomorrow we can move in the furniture and start living there." He explained. "For now, just rest here." I yawned, already being half asleep.

"You too?" I asked.

"I don't need to rest. I can go on for a whole lot longer." He sounded somewhat proud.

"You should rest too… It's good for you." He stood and smiled.

"Alright, if you insist." I grabbed his sleeve before he got a chance to walk away.

"With me." By now I was just sleep talking. He blinked a few times in surprise, then his face flushed.

"B-B-But, y-you're… I mean, I don't know if-"

"Shhhhhh, you're too noisy… Hurry up." He let out a deep breath, took his shoes off and scooted in next to me. The lights went out, making the room feel cold all of a sudden. I couldn't help but shiver. I felt an arm wrapping itself around my waist and smiled contently at the warmth that was passed on to me.

"Good night."

"Good night."

* * *

I stretched out as I woke up and shifted in the bed, opening my eyes to check the time. Instead of a clock, as usual, my eyes were met by the Doctor's closed ones. I had no recollection whatsoever of getting into a bed with him and that fact wouldn't sink in just yet either. He sure looked peaceful like that, so calm and innocent. I found myself smiling sheepishly at that contrast and barely even noticed when he woke up as well. He looked me straight in the eye and for a moment, I could see the exact same surprise on his face as there'd been on mine just a minute ago.

"Good morning." He said, smiling such a bright smile that it nearly blinded me.

"Very good morning indeed." I agreed.

"Sleep well?"

"It was perfect." Without even thinking about it properly, I leaned forward and bluntly kissed him. When I fully woke and realized what I was doing and that this probably wasn't a dream, I quickly broke away, awaiting his response with my hearts beating away like a mad clockwork. I felt a whole lot of emotions when he sat up, leaned over me and harshly pressed his lips onto mine, cupping my cheek with his hand. I completely surrendered and kissed him back, trying to meet his level of 'roughness' a little. His hand moved up, his long fingers running through my hair and coming to a stop at the back of my head. He broke away and breathed heavily for a moment, mouth slightly opened.

"You have no idea how long I've waited for this." He said as he pressed his forehead against mine.

"You're not the only one." I said, my voice hoarse as I move upwards in an attempt to reach his lips once more.

I quickly broke away when I felt a cough coming up and held a hand over my mouth, making sure that the germs wouldn't spread into the air. Putting my hand down again when the fit had passed, I was met by a horrified look in the Doctor's eyes. I frowned, looked down at my hand and shrieked when I saw nothing but blood on it. I felt another fit coming up and I quickly raised my blood stained hand to catch another wave.

"I don't think that's good, Doctor."

* * *

_~Three days later~_

It wasn't good. It wasn't good at all.

"It's a special virus that has a 5% chance of infecting someone who is still in the process of adjusting to the Time Lord rhythm after being turned back. It also prevents you from regenerating." The Doctor solemnly informed me in the TARDIS's white hospital ward. I was in a bed, wired up to all sorts of machines, Anan was pacing back and forth at the other end of the room, even Ren seemed genuinely worried.

"And?"

"I don't know much besides that. I've never seen it in action before. All I know comes from a book on Gallifreyan medicine and there's not even that much in there either." He explained, taking hold of my hand. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, I wish I could cure it, but I don't know how." He choked the words out.

"I'm sure I'll get better. It feels as though I will."

"It's unfair…" He whispered as he squeezed my hand tightly.

"Alas, that is the curse of life, even more so if you have an eternity of it." Despite my ravaged look, I still managed to make witty remarks and that was something to be proud of. My throat was sore from all the blood I'd coughed up, I looked pale as a ghost from said blood loss and I'd already lost quite a bit of weight thanks to my new 'don't eat 'cause you'll throw it up again anyway' diet.

To summarize, I'd transformed from me to a half dead person in only three days, that didn't really give me much courage for the coming days. How long would this drag on? Because even through the medication, I still clearly felt the pain. It was a strange kind of pain, almost comparable to the cramping pain women feel when they get their period, but then without the cramping. It didn't come in waves as it does then, it was just there. It was there and that was something that couldn't be changed, not even in the few hours I'd be able to rest. It was always there, continually eating away at me. I wasn't sure exactly which part it was eating at, but it was chewing up both my mental health (a.k.a. sanity) as my bodily health.  
The worst of all was that I knew it was eating at the Doctor as well. Even though he didn't feel the bodily part like I did, his mental health definitely suffered because of this. Because of me. I wouldn't be surprised if he thought it was actually his fault, which it obviously wasn't.

* * *

When Ren had dragged a reluctant Anan out of the room, it was just the Doctor, me and a steady double beeping sound from one of the machines.

"Look, I'm not going to tell you to fight, I'm really not. Because I don't want you to suffer. If you know that this is something-" He swallowed, obviously fighting back tears. "If you know that this is something you won't win, then I won't tell you to fight a losing battle." That came as a bit of a surprise. I knew he definitely meant it well, but the words still had an unpleasant ring to them. As if they were never meant to be said in a good way and could only be used in a bad one.

"What then?"

"Then it's up to you if you want to continue or not, but I've held on to things too tightly before and that was exactly the reason why they disappeared and I don't want that anymore." I laughed weakly.

"Don't be so gloomy. I'm not going to walk out on you guys just yet." His eyes lit up slightly. "I told you before. Right now, I'm the one who's winning, so have a little faith in me, alright?" He kissed my forehead and nodded.

"I have all the faith in you that one could possibly have."

"That's good. That's.. good…" I was slipping out of consciousness ever so slowly. My vision slowly darkened until I could see no more and hear nothing but the two steady beeps beside me. Just before the lights in my head went out as well, I was suddenly afraid that I might not wake up from this slumber...


	11. Chapter 10 - I love you

**_Chapter 10 - "I love you"_**

_A/N - At the end of the page_

* * *

_~Three more days later~_

"Does it taste okay?" Anan asked as he watched me greedily stuffing the food into my mouth.

"Itfs delicfius." I said, my mouth full with the food that I was now once again able to eat.

* * *

Since yesterday, everything started going a whole lot better again. So much that I was now actually able to eat again. Swallowing still hurt, because my throat was still sore, but that was something that would go away over time, I knew from experience.  
I was about 95% sure that I'd make a full recovery, but also knew that the 5% were some terrifying odds as well, it had been those odds exactly that had made me sick in the first place.

* * *

"I'm glad to see you're eating again." The Doctor said as he smiled. He looked tired, probably because he hadn't strayed from my bedside for the past six days, but he also looked better. Just as I was recovering, so was he. I was intensely happy that I wouldn't cause him any heartache by dying as so many others had before, I was happy that he too would probably make a full recovery.

"You know what? When you're all better again, I'll take you to see the Rings of Akhaten. I'm sure you'll love their singing. And- oh, I know, wouldn't you like to meet Galileo Galileï?" I laughed as I swallowed the last bit of the food.

"I'd love to meet Galileo Galileï, but I probably wouldn't understand a word he'd say."

"You know the TARDIS translates for you, right?" He asked puzzled.

"I know, math just isn't really my strongest point." He laughed and nodded.

"Then you choose. All of time and space, I'll take you anywhere you want to go. Just tell me." He was as psyched as a little kid going to an amusement park.

"Just calm down, we'll have plenty of time."

* * *

_~Finally, three days later~_

As I was sitting on the tribune, listening to the Queen of Ages' singing with a perfect view of the Rings of Akhaten, I could say I was truly happy. Not just because of the perfection of the situation, but also because I could share it with someone I loved. The Doctor leaned against my shoulder, humming along to the song. I suddenly realized something.  
"You know what just hit me?"  
"What?"  
"I haven't said it even once yet."  
"Said what?" I gently planted a kiss on his lips and smiled.  
"I love you."

* * *

_And they continued their Time Lord lives together, traveling together, finding more and more Time Lords and rebuilding the civilization of their race as it should've continued all those years ago._

* * *

Even though they added in some slight improvements, it's the continuity that counted.

Many dangers crossed their paths, but they faced it head on and conquered every single one of them.

* * *

_Well, every but one…_

_But that is another story altogether…_

* * *

_A/N:__ So, as promised, this is the end! (but if I feel like it I'll conjure up some more adventures for them)  
I really enjoyed writing this.  
It's my first DW fanfic (which might be very obvious), but I kind of put off writing one for DW because I find the Doctor an immensely hard character to write about. I mean, he's just so changeable, going from happy to depressed in a matter of seconds and that's just kind of hard for me I guess..._

Anyways, please tell me what you thought of it and if you would like to see some more.

Thanks to everyone for reading this, but especially to you who stuck with me to the end!


End file.
